How to fix X/Twitter

I’ve been on Twitter for a while. My account goes back to 2008. I didn’t start really using the platform until 2013 when I got into the content creator game. I became an active Twitter user over the last 10 years so I feel like I'm invested in this place.

Ditch the FYP page

Seriously though, who is curating this thing? All sorts of things pop up on the For You Page that just don’t make any sense. This doesn’t even touch the blatant racism, sexism, and anti-semitism that seems to suddenly be very popular around here. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason as to who gets promoted. Each week, it seems like there is a new account that is suddenly on everyone’s page. For example, did anyone know who Will Stancil was until about three weeks ago? The FYP doesn’t work. Twitter was much better when the main feed was a nice mix or possible things a user might be interested in as mostly stuff from people they followed. For me, it has been hell trying to keep up with people I actually follow because the following page is completely uncurated. Now, this leaves me to dig through all sorts of posts I don’t care about and the FYP is filled with vial sewage with occasional interesting posts.

Stop the extremist infestation

Advertisers have fled off the platform in droves and with good reason. There is alot of extreme opinions now. This isn't bad on the face. I might not like racism and anti-semitism but its poison for advertisers. And yet, Elon has only blamed the customers and not his poor platform management. In his quest for "free speech" he has unwittingly unleashed the dogs of extremism into the wilds of social media. As a platform that shapes public opinion, that can't be a good thing. But I don't think that is his goal. I think his goal is to force regressive opinions into "the discourse" so that those ideas are represented alongside the more progressive ideas for which Twitter has become famous.

Rebuild trust with users

Social media networks must maintain trust. It's the ultimate currency. Elon has wasted all of his while courting the worst people to be on Twitter. If he wants Twitter to survive (and I'm not convinced he does) then he needs to rebuild that trust. I think the most interesting part is who, perhaps, he thinks his real user is. It is clear that the "woke mob" of the pre-Elon era of Twitter is not his customer or user. Fair enough, but then a new question gets asked, who is his ideal user, and how is he going to serve them?

Actually help people use the platform

Twitter has been the domain of writers, journalists, and the world's elite. This is the only reason Twitter is relevant at all, in any space. If Elon wants his new "Free Speech Machine: to work then he's going to have to help people use the platform for new things. He's going to have to on-board people who would have never ordinarily had a Twitter account. Right now, I see no effort in that direction. Right now, it seems like it is merely people leaving the platform for Mastodon and Elon making sure that Twitter can't be used to "manipulate elections again." Apparently, galvanized online opinion does not meet his standard of how the public should react to politics, elected officials, or elections.

Ultimately, Elon isn't going to read this, and he certainly does not care about the opinion of an over-educated, coastal elite person. But with a few small changes, he could achieve his goals and have a sustainable platform. The rest of us can stay or simply move on elsewhere.